My First Christmas Memory

My First Christmas Memory
By Penny Hoprich
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **

I can remember it as if it had just been last night; that long ago Christmas when I was four years old.

It had been one of those rare years when Mama had been able to hold down a job long enough to get Christmas shopping money. (I didn’t realize at the time that she had to pay Santa for whatever he brought me.)

Mama’s brother, Earl, had taken me to see Santa. We were in Belk’s Toy Land in Gastonia, NC. I had never seen anything so beautiful in all my life. Everything in the store was lit up. The way they had it decorated, it looked like Winter Wonderland. I could hardly breathe with excitement.

As we had stood at the bus stop waiting for the bus to take us to town, Uncle Earl had asked, “Penny, what do you want Santa to bring you?”

I didn’t have to think twice. My mind had been made up for months. “I want a baby doll, whose eyes open and close and a brown teddy bear,” I replied.

Once we entered Toy Land, Uncle Earl would point to this toy and that toy, and ask again, “What do you want Santa to bring you?”

“I want a baby doll, whose eyes open and close and a brown teddy bear,” I repeated.

“Penny, hold this doll, she feels soft and cuddly like a newborn baby,” suggested Uncle Earl. “Is this the one you want Santa to bring you?”

“Nope! This doll’s eyes don’t open and close,” I said matter of factly. “I don’t want a doll whose eyes stay open all the time.”

“What kind of teddy bear did you say you want?” asked my loving uncle, as he picked up a black and white teddy bear.

“I want a brown teddy bear. Uncle Earl, can you just take me to talk to Santa? He’ll know what I want. I just need to be sure he writes it down.”

After quite a bit of pleading, Uncle Earl took me by the hand and led me to where Santa was supposed to be. Santa was gone. We were told that Santa had gone for a bite to eat and would be back in about half an hour.

Uncle Earl immediately led me to the section where they had rocking chairs on display. I don’t mean on the shelf. They had a whole section where they had rocking chairs sitting out for the children to sit in while they waited to see Santa.

I sat down in one and started to rock. When I began rocking, music played. I stopped rocking. The music stopped. I rocked, and again, music played. I loved music. I was absolutely mesmerized by the magic of this little rocking chair. I had to have one of these all for myself.

Finally, Santa returned to his post. I stood in line and waited my turn, twisting and turning, fidgeting, humming to the tune that was still in my mind from the little rocking chair. Uncle Earl swept me up in his arms and sat me on Santa’s lap.

“Ho Ho Ho”, laughed Santa. “What do you want for Christmas, little girl?”

“I want a rocking chair that plays music. See that one right over there? That’s the one I want.”

“And what else do you want Santa to bring you?” he asked.

“I want it to play the same song that one right over there plays,” I explained.

Finally, we were back on the bus headed for home. I could hardly wait to tell Mama that Santa was going to bring me a rocking chair that played music.

Mama met me at the door with a big bear hug. “How’s Mama’s baby?” she asked. Oops! Did I say “bear” hug? “baby”? Oh my gosh!! I had gotten so excited about the rocking chair that played music, I completely forgot to tell Santa I wanted a brown teddy bear and a baby whose eyes opened and closed.

Needless to say, when Christmas Eve finally arrived, Mama had a hard time getting me to go to sleep. I wanted to be sitting in the living room, holding Santa’s cake and milk, so I could beg him to please check and see if he had a baby whose eyes opened and closed and a brown teddy bear in his bag of toys.

“Penny, I’ll tell you what. If you’ll go on to sleep, I’ll stay up and talk to Santa. Maybe he’ll put your doll and teddy bear on the list for next Christmas.”

The next thing I knew, Mama, Grandma and Uncle Earl were standing beside my bed, telling me to hurry and see if Santa had come to see me.

As I sleepily crept into the living room, my whole world lit up, when what did I see? A brown teddy bear (big as I was) sitting in a rocking chair that played music, with a baby doll whose eyes opened and closed propped up beside them.

I don’t remember what I named the doll, but I named the teddy bear Tippy.

Tippy became my constant companion. Several years later, Mama’s other brother, Woodroe, decided to surprise me with a replacement for Tippy. A “replacement”? Yeah, right. Not in this lifetime.

** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
The End